1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to portable surface treating apparatus such as brooms and, more particularly, to an apparatus with a non-straight handle to facilitate access to surfaces beneath chairs, benches, and the like.
2. Background Art
Brooms and other like portable surface treating apparatus are conventionally constructed with a surface treating head and a straight, elongate handle attached to the head to facilitate manipulation of the head at a location remote therefrom. One type of broom has bound bristles generally aligned with the length of the handle. Another type of conventional broom has a block with attached flexible bristles. The handle is connected to the block at an angle that, with the head in a preferred orientation for treating a surface, causes the handle to be oriented for comfortable control by the user. Both of the above conventional designs have proven adequate for sweeping uninterrupted floor space.
The above broom configurations, however, do not lend themselves to convenient treatment of surfaces under objects, such as chairs, shelves and the like. For example, if one desires to use a broom with a straight handle to sweep under a chair, the user must substantially reduce the angle that the handle makes with the chair supporting surface to facilitate passage of the broom under the chair seat. This necessitates the user's leaning down and reaching under the chair at an awkward angle. This tends to strain the user's back and causes muscular fatigue.
Additionally, to reach surfaces under chairs, and the like, the broom must generally be oriented so that the bristles are not at a preferred angle with respect to the surface that is being treated. As a result the user must normally apply downward pressure on the handle in the vicinity of the bristles as the head is swept against the surface to compensate for the undesirable attitude of the head. This requires the user's reaching under the chair or other structure under which the surface is being cleaned. The user's hand in the process will frequently encounter the structure under which the cleaning is carried out and the result may be skinned and/or bruised hands.
Even with special effort made to hold the bristles firmly against the surface to be treated, it is inevitable that with a conventional structure there will be places such as corners that will be inadequately treated.